AFTER SEATTLE: In Oregon, Anarchists Act Locally

AFTER SEATTLE

He called himself Free, an apt name for an anarchist. And he stood tall in court as he explained why he had torched a Chevrolet dealership, incinerating three sport-utility vehicles. "I didn't do this because I enjoy property destruction," he said. "I did this because I'm frustrated that we are doing irreversible damage to our planet."

But last month a Eugene, Ore., judge handed down a prison sentence of 22 years and eight months to Jeffrey Luers, only 22 years old himself, not just for burning the SUVs but also for attempting to set fire to an empty oil tanker two...